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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Why is the lack of information about something so damned addicting?

Today's blog post comes out of a realization that I may be one of the sheep that gets sucked into hype. It's an admission that's been a long time coming, but we are legion (this army of sheep), and because of our over curious natures we must poke and prod at things until we find out the truth. It's honestly why I keep coming back to things, and I'd just like to know why my brain (and many others) is wired this way. You want examples?

In the new Star Wars: Force Awakens trailer we now know that Maz Kanata is 1000 years old and she's voiced by Lupita Nyongo. The lack of knowledge about this character has led many to speculate it's a "new Yoda" which may be why she's so old. A new Yoda?! Are you f'ing kidding me? That would be so cool IF IT'S TRUE. Also, what's up with Kylo Ren's saber? Supposedly, the quillions are there to "vent" energy from the light saber because it's unstable. But why is it unstable? Will J.J. even answer this question or just tease us along like a stripper in a glitter shop?

In the leaked information about Alien: Covenant (the sequel to Prometheus) Ridley Scott let drop that another earth ship finds a planet in a dark corner of space and David the android is living on it. What about Shaw? She was the only survivor from the Engineer planet in the first Prometheus film. Knowing that Shaw is nowhere around leaves me unsettled.

In the Flash television show, I think the identity of Zoom is going to end up being Barry Allen's dad. But of course, I don't know because they've been keeping it hidden all season (thus far). So there's this huge question as to why Barry's dad would be messing with Barry (even if it's an Earth 2 dad).

In the Walking Dead I want to know what happened to Glenn. Period. And they're deliberately leaving us in the dark with respect to this to make us feel every ounce of Maggie's pain. Was the voice on the radio at the end of the last episode Glenn? It sure sounded like him, but not knowing is driving me crazy.

In Game of Thrones, is Jon Snow alive or dead? Will Melisandre resurrect him? Who knows. And it's all the waiting for answers that sucks.

Anyway, if any of you out there are psychologists, I'd sure like to know why the lack of information about something is so damned addicting. And why are some of you (Grumpy Bulldog) able to just be uninterested in everything equally.
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10 comments:

  1. Alex J. CavanaughNovember 18, 2015 at 3:47 AM

    I am interested, but I keep it in perspective - it's only fiction.
    No Deadpool questions? I want to know if the film will be as quirky and funny as all of the ads so far.

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  2. PT DillowayNovember 18, 2015 at 6:55 AM

    It helps being so cynical sometimes. I did assume it was Glenn on the radio but maybe I'm wrong.

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  3. Crystal CollierNovember 18, 2015 at 8:27 AM

    And that's why readers come back, right? Because in books they want more.

    Ugh. Wish I hadn't read that about Flash. Where was your *spoiler alert*? ;)

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  4. David Powers KingNovember 18, 2015 at 8:56 AM

    Well, I work in psychology (not a psychologist), but it's the unanswered questions that keep us coming back for more, I think. Hook the audience and always leave a carrot dangling. :)

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  5. CindyNovember 18, 2015 at 3:15 PM

    I used to get very excited about those kinds of hooks, but not so much anymore. I guess I have more patience. Real life unanswered questions concern me a lot more.

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  6. Liz A.November 18, 2015 at 5:20 PM

    That's why binge watching has gotten so popular. Why leave a cliffhanger hanging? You can just go to the next episode and find out what happened right now.

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  7. Kevin LongNovember 18, 2015 at 7:47 PM

    Unanswered questions is definitely what brings me back to most shows. It's also what creates show communities to make things like Game of Thrones so much better.

    I've switched to your theory on Jon Snow. He's coming back. Can't wait to see next season. Is there any way the book will be out first? I'm starting to think it might be coming out at about the same time.

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  8. HelenaNovember 18, 2015 at 10:35 PM

    I love a good thriller, which means there must be mysteries, unanswered questions, red herrings, and cliff hangers. If all these things are done right, I want to keep going to find out what happens. But of course this only truly works if I have an emotional investment in the characters. I just saw Bridge of Spies (superb!), and although I knew that the real-life pilot survived, I didn't know how anything else would play out so I was riveted, especially since Tom Hanks and Spielberg are brilliant at making us care.

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  9. Leigh CaronNovember 19, 2015 at 5:20 AM

    I always get caught on details that break my reality and miss information about actual history. With Game of Thrones, we know this is a made-up world. Whatever is in the show is cool by me. I'm watching Reign now and while I love the wardrobes, they're not representative of clothes worn back then. And their facts are not factual. A glass of wine though helps.

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